The group enjoy the natural beauty around them as they horseride along the beach in County Donegal; and on the Viking Splash Tours bus, a unique way to see Dublin.
Tourism Ireland invited six UAE travel agents on a fam trip and trade workshop to Ireland back in October 2011.
Over five days the group — including Raed El Hajj, Abu Dhabi Travel Bureau; Angela Gomes, Omeir Travel; Javier Otero Salgado, Destinations of the World; Chester Pollocks, Mannai Holidays; Karla Galicia, Salem Holidays and Salma Mohamed Zein, Etihad Holidays — completed a whistlestop tour of Ireland stopping in Dublin, Kildare, Donegal and Belfast.
The agents flew to Dublin direct from Abu Dhabi via Etihad Airways arriving early on Sunday morning.
The first day was spent exploring Ireland’s capital city Dublin, with a walking tour of Georgian Dublin; shopping on Grafton Street; a tour of The Chester Beatty Library, St. Stephen’s Green (a park in the centre of Dublin) and Dublin Zoo.
To round off the Dublin experience the group jumped on a Viking Splash Tours bus, a unique ‘land and water’ sightseeing experience. The evening was spent at a live Irish show — the Merry Ploughboys — widely regarded as the best traditional music show in Dublin and a must-see for any visitor.
The following day the agents visited Curragh Racecourse in County Kildare and the Irish National Stud, a thoroughbred horse breeding facility, as well as the beautiful Japanese Gardens. In the afternoon there was time for some shopping with a visit to Chic Outlet Shopping Kildare Village.
Day three saw the group depart for Dunfanaghy, a small village in County Donegal, on Ireland’s north coast. Donegal features some of Ireland’s most spectacular scenery, ranging from high mountains, rivers, lakes, to coastal cliffs and beaches.
The agents checked in at Arnolds Hotel, Dunfanaghy which overlooks the amazing natural beauty of Sheephaven Bay and went off to make the most of the rugged surrounding countryside.
The riding stables are located in the grounds of the hotel and have been in the Arnold family for over 30 years. The group spent the day cantering along the Killahoey beach, enjoying the wilderness and tranquility of the area and the large variety of seabirds that can be spotted off the cliffs.
They all agreed this was the highlight of the trip. “The highlight was the horse riding and mountain climbing in County Donegal,” said Angela Gomes from Omeir Holidays. “It’s a beautiful place; the landscapes are breathtaking.”
The following day the group was off to Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland and their final stop where they were lucky enough to receive an exclusive preview of the city’s newest visitor attraction — the Titanic Belfast. The world’s largest Titanic visitor experience, is scheduled to open in March 2012.
After a fantastic fam tour it was finally down to business at the Tourism Ireland workshop, followed by a gala dinner and entertainment that evening.
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Jan 30, 2012 , Ireland
So glad you enjoyed your trip to Ireland, you definitely seemed to have covered a lot of 'green' ground?